Execution
by FandaticForeverAndAlways
Summary: Katniss has lost everyone she ever loved in her life. And the only person left, she blames him. Maybe there is only one way to seek peace. Read the warnings before you proceed. Rated M for the heavy themes.


**Disclaimer: I do not own The Hunger Games**

**Summary: Katniss has lost everyone she ever loved in her life. And the only person left, she blames him. Maybe there is only one way to seek peace. **

**Warning: Involves character death, dark!Katniss, might have a depressing effect on you, tread with caution.**

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><p><span><strong>Execution <strong>

The war was over.

They had won.

No more Hunger Games.

The Districts had taken over.

The history that they had seen only in books was their present and would be their future.

The people were happy – they held their Mockingjay responsible for their victory. She was the spark that had ignited the fire. It was because of her that the rest of the districts had been able to unite against the Capitol.

And she, Katniss Everdeen should have been happy. But she wasn't.

They had won the war, but she had lost everything.

It had all started with her volunteering for her sister – everything she had done and continued to do until the end was for Prim's safety and wellbeing. But what was the point in victory when the reason for whom you did everything was no more? What was the point when she didn't live in the same world as you?

Prim was dead, and Katniss had lost her reason.

If things had been different, Katniss could probably have been able to cope up with her loss. But things weren't different. She had lost Peeta too, the only person who didn't have any reason to love her and yet he selflessly had despite everything he had been through. Days after the bomb (which had killed hundreds including her sister) had exploded, and everything had been put into perspective which in turn successfully ended the war, she received the news of Peeta's death. It was only then that it really hit her. That the boy with the bread mattered to her more than she had ever led herself to believe. He had always been there for her in his own sweet way, and even when he had been hijacked and she hated him for hating her, Katniss never wanted to give him up. She hadn't known that. And when she did, he wasn't there to hear her. It was all too little, and too late.

It was a day before Snow's execution that she was told about Peeta's death and showed his body. Katniss had thought that she would cry, but she didn't. She simply stared at his pale skin, blonde hair, and a peaceful expression on his face. She knew that his nightmares wouldn't hurt him any more. _She_ wouldn't hurt him any more. Peeta was gone. And she refused to cry because she had to be braveandstrongandbraveandstrong. However, she didn't realize that there was no one was left for whom she had to be brave and strong. She could break down and cry her heart out and nobody would care. No, she didn't realize.

A new president had been chosen, and though Alma Coin hadn't been Katniss' best candidate before, she couldn't find herself to care much about it. It didn't matter to her what went on in Panem when everyone she loved had been wretched away from her. Even her mother refused to be in her presence, and when she was she would hopelessly cry. But she also knew that Katniss didn't like tears, and that tore her mother away from her. Response to grief was never Katniss's companion. Everyone who knew her even a tiny bit knew that. And that just drove everyone away from her.

Katniss returned to District 12 with no love in her heart. Everything and everyone around her irritated her and her hatred only grew. Her once best friend and who she had thought of as her love tried to help her deal with the pain, but Gale failed miserably. She hated him the most and didn't want anything to do with him.

Days turned into weeks and weeks turned into months. Time passed, but her scars didn't heal. Memories didn't bring happiness. Her pain was her constant reminder, always her true companion. Her hatred continued to surge in her and she didn't care for people anymore. She was alone in the world, and she preferred it that way.

One day, during her trip to the woods (it was the only place that she felt remotely closer to her old self), Katniss found a young girl near the lake. It was Posy, she realized. Gale's sister. She wouldn't have recognized the girl had her brother not stood out so distinctly in her.

Katniss watched Posy silently, not announcing her presence while a plan formed in her head. Acting on sudden impulse, Katniss jumped in front of the girl. Posy let out a startled cry and then smiled nervously when she realized who it was.

"You shouldn't be out here alone," Katniss said in a dead tone. The only tone in which she spoke whenever she did.

Katniss studied Posy, she noticed the changes in her. She reminded Katniss of Prim despite not looking like her dead sister one slight bit, and it left bitterness and pain in Katniss's heart.

"Gale said it would be fine if I didn't wander too far off," Posy answered shyly.

_Of course he would. _Katniss thought.

"It is not safe," Katniss said and began to walk toward Posy.

"But Gale –"

"Gale was wrong!" Katniss shouted. Her eyes were raged and deadly. There was something rabid and feral within her – she could feel it. And it felt good. So good.

Posy's eyes widened, and she started to move back until her shins were completely in the lake water. "What are you doing?" she asked when Katniss was right in front of her. Even at such a young age, Posy wasn't as short at Katniss had thought she was. Katniss didn't tower over the younger girl, but something about her made Posy tremble in fear.

"Katn –" Before Posy could complete her sentence, Katniss pushed her into the lake and bent down, holding Posy's neck under the water.

Katniss could feel fingers against her hands and feet kicking underneath her knees, splashing water all over her. But she held Posy deep under, not giving her even a moment to rise out and gasp for air. It didn't take long for Posy to stop struggling, and when she did, Katniss dropped her hands and stood up. She stared at the ripples of water, waiting for any sign of life. But apparently she was the only one alive, because Posy didn't rise up again.

Posy was dead. Just like Prim. Gale was the reason why Prim was dead. And now, Katniss was the reason why his sister was dead. In her mind, justice had been served.

Acting as if nothing out of ordinary had occurred, Katniss pulled the dead girl out of the lake and placed her on the grass and sat by her body. When Prim had died, she had been in the middle of the blast, they hadn't received any part of her to bury.

"I'm going to be kind to your brother – he'll bury you," she whispered and stroked Posy's face in a sisterly manner.

Hugging herself, Katniss moved back and sat against an old tree trunk which was covered with moss, and watched Posy's dead form. She wanted to feel something different. _Anything_. But she didn't. All she felt was the same loss and numbness and hatred for everything. Nothing had changed with Posy's death.

Katniss began to hum an old, terribly familiar song – The Hanging Tree. The sun began to set, and darkness spread. And she continued to hum. The mockingjays recognized their old friend, and replicated her tune into beautiful melodies.

The girl who had ignited the rebellion continued to hum, not observing a voice calling out from yards away. She still continued when the footsteps got closer. The humming only grew louder. She didn't observe a cry of pain and gut wrenching screams. She could only hear herself.

"What happened here?" And suddenly Gale was in front of her, shouting at her, tears running down his face. She blinked at him in confusion. "What. Happened. Here?" His voice was louder. He grabbed Katniss and held her up. She saw Posy lying at a different angle than she had laid her down on the grass.

"Posy," Gale choked and went back to his little sister. He pulled her against his chest and began to sob. "Posy . . . Posy . . . Posy . . ." he said her name repeatedly.

Katniss simply stood while the picture of misery unfolded in front of her. She realized that there was a difference between Gale's loss and her loss. She had never cried for Prim like how Gale was crying for Posy.

"She's dead now," Katniss finally said. Her voice came out in a whisper, a cold whisper. But Gale managed to hear her. They had spent too much time together in the past for him to not pick her whispered tones. He laid Posy back on the grass with surprising gentleness._ How could he be a killer and yet so gentle at the same time? _Katniss couldn't help but wonder.

"What happened? Please tell me. Why didn't you bring her back? We could have done something! I – I don't k-know what happened, she m-must have t-tried to s-swim on her o-own." He stammered at the end.

Katniss stared at his mumbling, she wasn't sure what he thought. Wasn't it clear to him? "She drowned," Katniss said blankly. "I drowned her. Now you know how it feels to lose a sister."

She recognized the expressions on his face upon hearing her words – Pain, horror, anger and then more pain.

"W-what?" he stammered.

"I drowned your sister," she answered.

Gale raised his hand and slapped Katniss with possibly all his might. Her knees buckled and she fell, she could feel the sting in her cheek spread through her and her nose burned while she tasted blood in her mouth. It was oddly comforting. She saw Gale's lips form words but she couldn't hear his voice. He was shouting something at her, crying all the while. He pushed her against the tree, his face filled with anger.

"You killed Prim. I killed Posy. Kill me, you killer . . ." Katniss managed to choke out. And then she began to laugh hysterically. The blood in her mouth trickled down onto her neck and clothes. She expected Gale to land in another punch, or something worse – just to make her feel something, but he let her go.

Gale moved toward Posy and picked her up into his large arms. His shoulders shook a bit, he held her there for a moment and turned back to Katniss.

"I'm not the killer here. But I wish, I do, that I could kill you." Gale said. With a look of disgust and sorrow on his face, he began to walk away.

Out of all the things he had done – this was the most that affected her. Katniss hugged herself, ignoring her bruises and lay down on the grass. Something hot touched her skin, and it wasn't blood.

It was as clear as water and salty too. Tears. Katniss was finally crying. She didn't bother to rise up and lay on the forest ground, tears and sobs choked her until unconsciousness took over.

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><p><strong>AN: Okay, wow. This took a whole darker path than I wanted it to. I'm still unsure of the ending, and am wondering if I should have ended it after Posy being drowned by Katniss. But I wanted Gale to be involved too. I am very nervous about how this is going to be received. Katniss is clearly not in the right place, and was Gale's reaction to her right enough according to you? Let me know!**


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